Belfast News Editorial: Consumer Council Folly

Following the nightmare throughout the 2010 Christmas period and the New Year of 2011, the Consumer Council has published its report into the NI Water Crisis, which left tens of thousands of homes across Northern Ireland without water, to drink, to wash or to maintain basic hygiene. The crisis saw, families carry tubs of water from distribution sites, water delivered under police escort and leisure centres in Belfast open to allow people to clean themselves.

NI Water was lambasted by the public, not so much for the pipes freezing in the worst recorded weather conditions but for their response and lack of information, with even council representatives publicly denouncing their response. All of this lead to public pressure for their CEO Laurence MacKenzie to quit his position.

The public, having lived through this trauma deserve a little more from the Consumer Council than confirmation that consumers were left 'high and dry' and that 'NI Water's
failings were on a monumental scale'.

You don't need an investigation and a report to conclude that 'Consumers' felt that NI Water 'failed to plan; communicate; provide accurate accessible information; failed to know who their vulnerable customers were or ask for help or support', it was plastered over the news for weeks.

Obviously, NI Water are 'devastated' by this report and its proposals stating that it had received it and would consider it in detail before responding.

It is a scandalous waste of public money, for this matter to be investigated by the Consumer Council, NI Water, the Utility regulator and even the Office of First Minister and Deputy First, when every man, woman and child in the country knows what went wrong. Such reports can only serve to either state the blinding obvious or be utilised by those wishing to argue for Water Rates, an issue the public are becoming less and less tolerant over, despite the recent spin. Its time for the Northern Ireland Executive to take control of this issue and stop further wastage of public funds, dry up on the endless threat of water rates and use their resources more wisely.

Last Updated: 8th February 2011